ELA7+Survival

toc =Topic= This unit continues the close examination of characters and examines how setting plays a role in their development. Students read "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats and use it as a springboard for discussions of characters' pursuits of the unknown. Students analyze the development of the theme of survival across various texts, evaluate nonfiction text structures, and present their analyses to their classmates. Students compare and contrast character experiences across novels, as well as the points of view in narration, and are encouraged to research the authors behind the stories, many of whom are wilderness survivors themselves. This unit ends with a review of Yeats's poem in order to see how this unit lead to deeper understanding of the work. In addition, students are asked to write an informative/explanatory essay in response to the essential question.
 * Survival **

=Common Core Standards= Students will:
 * R.1** Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 * R.2** Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
 * R.3** Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact.
 * R.4** Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
 * R.5** Analyze how a drama's or poem's form or structure contributes to its meaning.
 * R.6** Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.
 * a.** Analyze stories, drama, or poems by authors who represent diverse world cultures.
 * R.7** Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium.
 * R.8** Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
 * R.9** Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
 * R.11** Recognize, interpret, and make connections in narratives, poetry, and drama, ethically and artistically to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations.
 * b.** Use established criteria to classify, select, and evaluate texts to make informed judgments about the quality of the pieces.
 * W.1** Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
 * a.** Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
 * b.** Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
 * c.** Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
 * d.** Establish and maintain a formal style.
 * e.** Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
 * W.2** Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
 * a.** Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
 * b.** Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
 * c.** Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
 * d.** Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
 * e.** Establish and maintain a formal style
 * f.** Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
 * W.3** Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
 * a.** Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
 * b**. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
 * c.** Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
 * d.** Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
 * e.** Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
 * W.4** Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
 * a.** Produce text that explores a variety of cultures and perspectives.
 * W.5** With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
 * W.6** Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
 * W.9** Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
 * a.** Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literature
 * b.** Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction
 * W.10** Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
 * SL.1** Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
 * a.** Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
 * b.** Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
 * c.** Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
 * d.** Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.
 * e.** Seek to understand other perspectives and cultures and communicate effectively with audiences or individuals from a varied backgrounds.
 * SL.2** Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
 * SL.3** Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
 * SL.4** Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
 * SL.5** Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.
 * SL.6** Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
 * L.1** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
 * a.** Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and specific sentences.
 * b.** Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
 * c.** Place phrases and clauses with a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.
 * L.2** Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
 * a.** Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives.
 * b.** Spell correctly
 * L.3** Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
 * a.** Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.
 * L.4** Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
 * a.** Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
 * b.** Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.
 * c.** Consult general and specialized reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
 * d.** Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase.
 * L.6** Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

=Suggested Student Objectives= //**SWBAT:**//
 * Analyze the development of characters and themes in texts about survival;
 * Discuss how the authors' use of literary techniques in narration, such as flashback and point of view, engage the reader;
 * Compare and contrast different pieces of art;
 * Take comprehensible notes on important content, ideas, and details in texts;
 * Write a survival-in-the-wild story using figurative language and exploiting nuances in word meaning for effect;
 * Compare and contrast the ways in which two authors present information on the same topic.

= Terminology/ Academic Vocabulary =

= = =Required Texts=

The Song of Wandering Aengus, William Butler Yeats, Poem The Gulf Stream, Winslow Homer, Painting The Raft of the Medusa, Theodore Gericault, Painting Rikki Tikki Tavi, Rudyard Kipling, Short Story (Honors) Beyond the Limits, Nonfiction (Glencoe) Going Up: LIfe in the Death Zone, Nonfiction (Teacher Tool KIt Texts)

=Suggested Additional Readings=

Dog Song, Gary Paulsen, Novel (G) Call of the Wild, Jack London, Novel (BG) Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson, Novel (AG) Vampire Bat Debate: To Kill or Not to Kill, Nonfiction (Texts & Lessons) Deadly Spider Requires Long Courtship, Nonfiction (Texts & Lessons) Empathy for One's Fellow's Chimp, Nonfiction (Texts & Lessons) The Dog Diaries, Merrill Markoe, Short Story (Glencoe) Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Roald Dahl, Poem (Springboard) Avalanche, Nonfiction (Took Kit Texts) Tornado, Nonfiction (Tool Kit Texts) On Deadly Ground, Nonfiction (Tool Kit Texts) Hurricanes, Nonfiction (Glencoe) Racing the Great Bear, Short Story (Glencoe) Beware of the Dog, Short Story (Glencoe) The Wreck of the Hesperus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Poem (Glencoe) The Cremation of Sam McGee, Robert W. Service, Poem (Glencoe) Birds Circling at Dusk, Poem (Glencoe) Loo-Wit, Wendy Rose, Poem (Glencoe)

Although novels are listed as suggested readings, students should be assigned a novel based upon their reading level. Novels should be read independently, outside of class. Students should carry the novel back and forth to class. Novels should be used during class discussions and activities to assist students in meeting the unit's objectives. It is imperative that students be assigned a novel that is at their independent level. AG = Above Grade Level, G = Grade Level, BG = Below Grade Level. Novels can be substituted based upon resources and teacher discretion.

=Resource Links=

Glencoe Literature Web Resources: The Dog Diaries

ReadWriteThink Lesson Plan: Considering Courage in Novels

ReadWriteThink Lesson Plan: Exploring Character Traits with Adjectives

Lesson: Jack London's Call of the Wild: "Nature Faker?"

Poetry Ideas

National Geographic Kids: Reed's Interview with Gary Paulsen

Wildwood Survival

Discovery: Survival Zone

Survival in the Wild: Great Escapes from Nature

Brain Pop: Jack London, Charles Darwin



=Activities=

Read "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats. Talk with a classmate about what you think the poem means, both literally and figuratively. Write your ideas down in your journal. You will revisit this poem at the end of the unit to see if your thoughts and ideas have changed.
 * Introductory Activity *Required***

As you red your novel, take notes in your journal about how the characters are affected by their environment. Be sure to note page numbers with relevant information or mark your text with sticky notes, so you can cite the text during class discussion. Which character are you studying? What is a typical day like for this character? What challenges did this character face? How did this character overcome these challenges?
 * Note Taking on Character Development *Required for Independent Novel***

Anthropomorphism is defined as giving human characteristics to animals or nonliving things. The term derives from the combination of the Greek anthropos, meaning "human," and morph, meaning "shape" or "form." Find examples of anthropomorphism in the stories you have read, record them in your journal or on a class spreadsheet, and discuss how this additional "character" plays a role in the story.
 * Literature Response**

Continuing activity from the first three units. Choose some words learned this unit and add these to your personal dictionary. Include a section on idioms and figures of speech. Develop groups by synonyms and antonyms.
 * Word Study**

Write your own survival-in-the-wilderness story, incorporating words, techniques, and styles from the novels read and discussed in class. Work with peers to strengthen writing in order to publish it. Edit your writing for the grammar conventions studied so far this year before publishing your work.
 * Narrative Essay *Required for Honors***

Based on the novels read and discussed in class, write an informative/explanatory essay in response to the essential question: What similarities and differences exist among characters who survive in the wild? Cite at least three specific details from texts read. After your teacher reviews your first draft, work with a partner to strengthen your writing and edit it for the grammar conventions studied so far this year before final publication.
 * Informative/Explanatory Essay *Required***

As a class, continue adding to the Mechanics/Grammar bulletin board started in Unit One. Focus this unit will be on verb tense and subject-verb agreement. Remember once skills are taught in a mini-lesson and listed on the bulletin board, you are expected to edit your work for these elements before publication.
 * Mechanics/Grammar Wall *Required***

As a class continue adding to the Vocabulary Word Wall bulletin board where, throughout the year, you will add and sort words as you learn them in each unit of study. Focus Terminology: Anthropomorphism, Flashback, Foreshadowing, Point of View
 * Vocabulary/Word Wall**

The works by Gericault and Homer are considered to e classic images of man's survival at sea. Study the works separately, beginning with the Gericault. Note the many ways in which the artist emphasized the high drama of the situation. Observe that half of the men are reaching toward a barely visible ship on the horizon, while the rest slip slowly into the surf. Then turn to the Homer and identify similarities with the Gericault. Which work do you think documents a real event? Listen to the story of the Medusa shipwreck. Write a short story describing the events that you would imagine either led to or came after the scene in Homer's work.
 * Art/Class Discussion/Writing**

=Assessments=

Honor students will re-read the first poem read in this unit, "The Song of Wandering Aengus." Describe how their understanding of this poem has changed. What new insights have they gained? Students will memorize and/or recite the poem aloud while emphasizing different words. Students will be recorded using a video camera so others can see and hear the different phrasing.

Two or three recitations will be selected to be shown to ALL students. Students will write an essay explaining how changing the emphasis of different words changes the meaning of the sentences. Describe how the poem relates to the theme of this unit. Describe how their understanding of the poem has changed over the course of the unit.

=BACK to ELA 7=